logo
What Sadiq Khan can learn from the city that crushed fare evasion

What Sadiq Khan can learn from the city that crushed fare evasion

Telegraph16-06-2025
When Laura first moved to Washington three years ago, she thought the bus was a complimentary service paid for by the city.
'I assumed it was free when I took it the first couple of times because nobody was paying,' says the researcher. 'Everyone just walked straight on.'
Across the world, fare evasion on public transport has exploded in the wake of the pandemic. It has left public transport companies reeling from hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenues.
Now, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) – which manages the US capital's bus and subway systems – is at the forefront of a crackdown. It has had huge success in tackling fare evasion on its Metrorail network, and is now targeting the buses.
Randy Clarke, the WMATA general manager, says the network has cut subway fare-dodging by as much as 85pc from its peak.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the atlantic, Transport for London (TfL) haemorrhages £130m to fare dodgers. Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, would do well to take note of Clarke's tactics. Almost one in 20 Tube passengers didn't pay last year.
Fare dodging has become a political flashpoint in London. Last month, Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, filmed himself confronting fare dodgers pushing through the barriers at Stratford station in east London.
He posted the video on X with the message: 'Sadiq Khan is driving a proud city into the ground. Lawbreaking is out of control. He's not acting. So, I did.'
But what can Sir Sadiq learn from Washington?
Across all US transport networks, the rate of fare evasion has nearly quadrupled since the pandemic. In 2018, it was 2pc. Last year, it was 7pc – according to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).
But 7pc sounds quaint on large city networks. Clarke may have had success on Washington's subway network but WMATA data last autumn showed around 70pc of riders on DC buses were travelling without paying.
Paul Skoutelas, APTA's president, blames a psychological shift during lockdown. Many transport systems stopped charging fares to reduce contact between people, or to boost passenger numbers.
'People are thinking, 'We didn't pay then, do we really need to pay now?'' says Skoutelas.
In Washington, Metrobus fares were waived between March 2020 and January 2021. For many riders, the habit stuck. By 2022, WMATA was losing $40m (£29.5m) a year in revenues to fare evaders across Metrorail and Metrobus.
Benjamin Lynn, of the Amalgamated Transit Union (AMT), says of the rail network: 'You'd see people climb over the fare gates on a daily basis.'
Three steps to tackle fare evasions
When Clarke joined WMATA as general manager in the summer of 2022, he launched a three-pronged attack to tackle fare evasion on DC's Metrorail network.
First, he tightened the rules to introduce new penalties for failing to pay. Secondly, he stepped up police patrols to catch offenders. And thirdly, and most crucially, WMATA introduced new gates that are much harder to skip through.
At the end of 2018, Washington had decriminalised fare evasion, meaning perpetrators only faced fines. Then during the pandemic, it largely stopped policing the policy. Fare evasion enforcements plunged from more than 15,000 in 2017 to just 297 in 2021.
WMATA launched a new system of penalties shortly after Clarke joined in 2022, with $50 civil fines for fare evasion in Washington. In the states of Virginia and Maryland, which are also part of the transport network, fare evasion is a criminal offence with a fine of up to $100.
But officers had limited means to impose these fines until District of Columbia council officials passed the Secure DC Bill in March 2024, which handed police greater powers to force offenders to provide their correct names and addresses. Anyone failing to comply can face an additional $100 fine.
At the same time, Clarke increased police patrols by 70pc. Between 2023 and 2024, the number of citations and summonses issued by the Metro Transit Police surged by 136pc to hit nearly 16,000 – the highest total on record in at least a decade. In the first four months of 2025, citations were up by a further 45pc.
WMATA also began rolling out new fare gates, with installations completed across all 98 stations last year. The old gates were only 28 inches high and consisted of small retracting fan-shaped gates. They were easy to push through, crawl under or climb over. The new gates are almost twice the height (55 inches) and consist of L-shaped polycarbonate door-panels with robust, motorised hinges and only a 10-inch gap underneath.
Clarke's personal leadership style has also helped. One of his first steps after becoming general manager was to get remote workers back into the office.
'A lot of people didn't love that at the time,' he told the Statecraft politics podcast this month. However, he said the shift in policy helped get results. 'I think that is actually one of the reasons we produced so much.'
The impact has been undeniable. The network has clawed back tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue and in two years the crime rate across WMATA has fallen by 65pc to a seven-year low.
'Not everyone who fare-evades commits crimes, but almost universally, everyone who commits serious crimes fare-evades,' Clarke told Statecraft. 'Not many people are going to tap in and then do armed robbery.'
The Metrobus, however, is still something of a Wild West. This is Clarke's new frontier.
At the end of last year, WMATA launched a new effort with transit police, plain-clothes officers and video monitoring. Digital signs on the front of Metrobuses now say 'fare required'.
'You would think, 'Geez, that's very simple.' But I think it needs to be said,' says Skoutelas.
WMATA is at the aggressive forefront of a national effort to claw back lost revenues. City networks including New York, San Francisco and Seattle have all made major inroads on fare evasion with similar tactics.
In London, TfL is on a campaign too, with a target to cut fare evasion from 3.4pc – or 4.7pc on the Tube – to 1.5pc by 2030.
Sir Sadiq has taken similar efforts to tighten the rules, increasing fines for fare evasion from £80 to £100 in March last year. In April, TfL announced it was expanding its team of dedicated investigators to crack down on prolific repeat offenders.
But there has so far been no word on improving fare gates. In response to a Freedom of Information request on the topic in March this year, TfL said: 'There are currently no plans to replace the ticket barriers.' It seems Sir Sadiq is missing a vital trick.
Ultimately, the key to fixing the problem is psychological, Clarke believes.
'There is some truth to a larger societal idea. People want to see other people follow rules, and the more that people follow rules, the more people watching them follow rules,' he told Statecraft. 'There's a societal group-think at play.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Pam Bondi on the brink: Epstein fallout gets nasty as Trump insiders reveal humiliating things colleagues are saying behind her back
Pam Bondi on the brink: Epstein fallout gets nasty as Trump insiders reveal humiliating things colleagues are saying behind her back

Daily Mail​

time27 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Pam Bondi on the brink: Epstein fallout gets nasty as Trump insiders reveal humiliating things colleagues are saying behind her back

Attorney General Pam Bondi is causing 'unnecessary embarrassment' for Donald Trump as the Jeffrey Epstein 'cover-up' claims overshadow his presidency, angry administration insiders say. A DOJ source told the Daily Mail that Bondi's 'communications failure' when it comes to the Epstein files has fueled a 'truckload of misinformation' surrounding the case.

Consequences of moment of violence are ‘eternal', boy's mother tells killers
Consequences of moment of violence are ‘eternal', boy's mother tells killers

The Independent

time29 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Consequences of moment of violence are ‘eternal', boy's mother tells killers

The mother of a 14-year-old schoolboy who was stabbed to death on a bus told her son's killers that a 'moment of violence' has led to 'eternal' consequences. Aspiring rapper Kelyan Bokassa was stabbed around 27 times in the attack that lasted around 14 seconds as he travelled on a route 472 bus in Woolwich, south-east London, on January 7. Two youths, aged 16, appeared at the Old Bailey to be sentenced on Friday after they pleaded guilty to Kelyan's murder and having a knife. In a victim impact statement, Kelyan's mother Marie Bokassa said: 'I stand here not just as a mother but as a broken soul whose life changed forever the day my child's life was taken from me by another child.' Speaking through tears and wearing black, she added: 'At least my son is at peace, and those two kids are going to have a really tough time. 'I ask myself what has happened to those two boys that has resulted in that terrible act of violence and I cannot imagine how can they be so angry. 'What they did was horrific and I do not know what has led them to do this and maybe I will never.' 'That moment of violence may have lasted seconds but its consequences are eternal,' Ms Bokassa said. She told the court her son had loved food, cooking and football and brought her flowers on her birthday. 'He would put music on and we'd dance together in the living room,' she said. 'He loved Mr Bean, which we watched together, and he would laugh. I miss his laugh, miss his voice. 'I will never see his children or be a grandmother and he will never have his own family.' Ms Bokassa added that she had spent her son's 15th birthday at his graveside and that she missed everything about him. She said that some people in her neighbourhood cannot look at her and she is petrified to take public transport, particularly the 472 bus. 'I feel judged,' Ms Bokassa added. 'Maybe I will never recover, all I know is I will live and I will have to be strong for my son and I will have to constantly find a coping mechanism,' she continued. 'He would want me to try and solve youth crime and not give up on my life. 'My son loved me and would want me to go on with my life. 'These two young boys took my son's life without hesitation, they will now have to face the consequences of their actions here today. 'My only hope is they get the help they need before they ever get released into society.' In a statement Kelyan's father, Hashim Mohamed, said his son's death had prompted him and his wife to consider 'youth violence' and to 'think politically' about knife crime. 'I never expected Kelyan's life to end tragically, to the contrary I believed he would one day thrive as an elite athlete or even as a creative,' he wrote in a statement read out on his behalf by prosecutor Deanna Heer KC. The hearing was attended by around 20 members of the public, who filled the public gallery, all of whom wore black while some hid their faces and sobbed loudly as CCTV footage of the attack was shown to the court. Kelyan's mother left the hearing briefly while the video of her son's murder was played.

Smiling machete youths locked up for life for bus murder of 14-year-old boy
Smiling machete youths locked up for life for bus murder of 14-year-old boy

The Independent

time29 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Smiling machete youths locked up for life for bus murder of 14-year-old boy

Two machete-wielding youths who smiled as they fatally stabbed a 14-year-old schoolboy on a bus have been locked up for life. Aspiring rapper Kelyan Bokassa called 'I want my mum' after he was mortally wounded in front of horrified passengers aboard the a route 472 bus in Woolwich, south-east London, on January 7. His killers, aged 16, pleaded guilty to Kelyan's murder and having a knife. In a televised sentencing on Friday, Judge Mark Lucraft KC detained them at His Majesty's pleasure for life. He told the pair they would be locked up for a least 15 years and 10 months before being eligible for parole. Judge Lucraft said Kenyan's death was a 'senseless loss' of yet another young life to the 'horrors of knife crime'. One of the youths in the dock of the Old Bailey smiled as he was sent down. Earlier, prosecutor Deanna Heer KC said Kelyan had boarded the 472 bus just after 2pm to attend an appointment at the Youth Justice Centre in Woolwich. CCTV footage showed Kelyan went to sit on the back seat on the top deck, with a knife in the waistband of his trousers. Ms Heer said the teenager looked around and out of the windows before taking his seat 'giving every impression that he was concerned for his safety'. The defendants, who cannot be named, boarded the bus 20 minutes later each armed with identical machetes hidden in their clothes. The pair walked towards Kelyan 'with purpose' and withdrew their blades before immediately stabbing him without uttering a word to their victim. Ms Heer said: 'Since Kelyan Bokassa was seated on the back seat, he was cornered, unable to escape as the defendants repeatedly thrust their knives towards him, smiling as they did so.' The attack lasted around 14 seconds, with the youths thrusting the machetes towards Kelyan 27 times. Ms Heer went on: 'Kelyan Bokassa had no time to reach for his own knife, which remained in his trousers, and instead tried in vain to protect himself with his school bag. 'There were several other passengers on the top deck who fled in panic when they realised what was happening. They describe hearing intense screaming from the back of the bus and the victim shouting, 'Help. Help. I've been stabbed'. 'They describe both defendants making quick, forceful movements towards Kelyan Bokassa as he tried to defend himself.' The bus driver activated his emergency alarm just before 2.27pm and the defendants fled when the vehicle stopped at Woolwich Ferry. Kelyan stumbled down the aisle to the stairs, where another passenger went to help him. The boy was heard to say: 'Take me to my mum's. I want my mum,' before his legs buckled, bleeding heavily from a wound to the leg. Members of the public flagged down a passing police car and officers found Kelyan had collapsed and his body was limp. Despite attempts to save him, Kelyan died at the scene at 3.23pm. One of the machetes was thrown into the River Thames, but was later recovered by police. The defendants were quickly identified from CCTV on the bus and arrested. In a victim impact statement, Kelyan's mother Marie Bokassa said: 'At least my son is at peace, and those two kids are going to have a really tough time. 'I ask myself what has happened to those two boys that has resulted in that terrible act of violence, and I cannot imagine how can they be so angry. 'What they did was horrific and I do not know what has led them to do this, and maybe I will never.' She told the court her son had loved food, cooking and football, and brought her flowers on her birthday. Speaking through tears and wearing black, she said: 'He would put music on and we'd dance together in the living room. 'He loved Mr Bean, which we watched together, and he would laugh. I miss his laugh, miss his voice. 'I will never see his children or be a grandmother and he will never have his own family.' Ms Bokassa added that she had spent her son's 15th birthday at his graveside. During the sentencing hearing, members of the public sobbed loudly and hid their faces as footage of the attack on Kelyan was shown in court. The court heard both defendants have previous convictions for carrying blades in public. Samantha Yelland, senior crown prosecutor for CPS London North, said: 'This was a savage and sustained attack on a 14-year-old boy which was carried out in broad daylight on a busy bus. 'Kelyan was headed to an appointment that day and passengers on the bus witnessed his violent murder in truly harrowing circumstances. Despite the attack lasting only 15 seconds, he had little chance of survival. 'We worked closely with police and were thankfully helped by clear CCTV evidence which both placed the defendants on the bus and showed one of them discarding the machete. They had little choice but to plead guilty. 'I hope their sentences provide some degree of comfort to Kelyan's friends and family.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store